1/15/2012 3:30 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF

File under rich people's problems -- "Young and the Restless" star Melody Scott is suing her home insurance company for refusing to cover more than $50,000 in rain damage ... claiming her poor male assistant went through HELL cleaning up the mess.

Melody and her husband Edward filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming Mid-Century Insurance Company put them through the ringer after a 2010 rainstorm wreaked havoc on their Beverly Hills Home ... and ultimately left them out to dry.

As a result of the storm, the suit alleges, the Scotts' loyal servant -- a Mr. Nick Krotov -- "was forced to place many pots, pans, and towels in the living room to catch the falling water."

According to the suit, the Scotts filed an emergency insurance claim to repair the damage -- but MC blew their repeated requests to approve it ... and Mother Nature wreaked even more havoc on their home.

Melody claims MC finally came out to inspect the property more than a week after the initial storm -- and rejected their claim, insisting the water damage was not covered.

Melody and Edward claim they spent over $50,000 trying to repair the damage -- and now they're suing to get it all back, plus other damages. Calls to Mid-Century were not returned.